Midnight
by SeeliePrincess19
Summary: A Heline one-shot: When Aline can't find sleep at night, she uses the opportunity to wake Helen and ask her a question that's always been bothering her. (set post-CoHF)


**A/N: This little piece of work was inspired by something I read on tumblr a while ago. It was about one of your OTP waking up in the middle of the night, asking weird questions, and the other answering with a pillow in that person's face (tbh, there is no pillow throwing in here). Enjoy!**

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The wind rattled the shutters, howling, like some otherworldly hound, as it found its way inside through every crack in the stone wall. But it wasn't the noises that kept Aline awake; she was shivering under her three layers of bed sheets, teeth clattering relentlessly. She exhaled, her breath forming a tiny cloud.

"H-Helen?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

Somewhere in the darkness, muffled by a heap of sheets, came a groan. Aline felt her move beside her, but the room was so dimly lit by a single beam of moonlight that she couldn't make out more than Helen's outline; she couldn't even tell if she was facing her.

Scooting closer in the hope to get some warmth of her girlfriend, Aline repeated, "Helen. I need to ask you something."

As a response there was a long-drawn moan and some rustling. Suddenly the sheets were pushed back and a head of blonde curls, almost white in the moonlight, was revealed.

"By the angel." Helen shot her a glare through drowsy eyes. "It's way past midnight. Can't that wait till the morning?"

Aline propped herself up on her elbow, looking down on the half-faerie. "I'm afraid it can't."

"Fine," Helen frowned, but then her expression softened and she even moved closer, their icy feet touching under the sheets.

"Okay, but you have to answer honestly." Aline paused to brush one of Helen's locks sprawled out on the pillow. "Egg white or egg yolk?"

"What?!" Helen's eyes widened and she pulled back, away from Aline. "Please tell me you didn't wake me in the middle of the night find out about my eating habits. You've known me for more than two years and we've been on this forsaken island long enough –"

Aline stopped Helen's rant by pressing her lips hard on the blonde's mouth. A few more words escaped her until she gave in to the kiss and they were drowned by it. Within seconds Helen was wide awake, every inch of her body buzzing with lust, and a hunger was woken, so deep and intense she feared she'd burst.

Then Aline was gone and Helen was left gasping for air.

"What was that for?"

But Aline didn't answer. She'd sat up straight, her hands folded in her lap, and she was trembling. She kept her face hidden from Helen, silent tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Aline, what is it?" Helen asked, alarmed. "It's not about the eggs, is it?"

Again Aline was silent. She wanted the tears to stop and talking would only make it worse. If she could just hold on a little longer…

She heard Helen say her name once more and felt a soft hand on her shoulder. The simple touch was enough for her to dissolve into tears and she began to sob uncontrollably.

"No, don't cry." Helen was suddenly beside Aline, wrapping her arms around her. "Talk to me."

Aline tried to talk, but another burst of sobs rippled through her body.

"Shh." Helen pressed a kiss to Aline's head. "It'll be alright."

Aline let out another sob, but it sounded more like a crazed chuckle, and then she was laughing. "This is so pathetic." More tears spilled down her face while she laughed like a lunatic. "I'm so pathetic."

"Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Aline turned to face her girlfriend, who looked more than displeased under her mob of wild curls, which caused her to giggle even more. In between gasps and tears she said, "I hate it here. It's like we've been sent to the end of the world. And I hate myself for hating it so much, because I promised you we'd get through this together."

Helen paled. "You're planning on quitting?"

"No!" Aline's laughter ceased abruptly and she leaped forward to cup Helen's hands with hers. "I would never do that. You know I love you. It's just hard sometimes…" Her gaze drifted off in the darkness, but she didn't need to see; she knew the tiny room that had been assigned to them by heart. It had a bed – which was admittedly quite cozy -, a wardrobe that barely held both their clothes, and a desk covered with tons of paperwork. Somehow it had become home – one that she wanted to escape desperately.

When Helen remained quiet, Aline continued. "It's constantly freezing, and I'm sick of eating fish. At night, I can't find sleep for more than four hours." She faltered, absently stroking the back of Helen's hands. "This all sounds horrible, but going back home, leaving you here in this wicked place, is no option. No matter what else we have to endure on this island, how hard we have to work, we will deal with it – as long as we're together."

The half-faerie had avoided her gaze, but now her blue-green eyes met with hers and even in the dark they were gleaming brightly.

"I won't blame you if you did leave me," she said. "I'd leave too if I could."

A look of incredible sadness crossed Helen's face and although it was even fleeting, Aline knew what it had meant. She squeezed the blonde's hands tightly. "I'll call my mother tomorrow. Maybe she can manage to get us a vacation. With our family."

Helen nodded, but said no word. She moved in closer and, their fingers still intertwined, she leaned her head against Aline's shoulder. "I'd love that."

For a moment they just sat, listening to the storm raging on outside, the whooshing of the wild sea and the rain thrumming on the roof.

"So what was that about the eggs?" Helen asked.

"I thought it would distract me."

Helen chuckled. Then she shifted, pushing Aline back into the sheets and moving herself on top of her. The heat radiating off of Helen let Aline forget about the cold she'd experienced earlier. Helen lowered her head, pressing hot kisses to Aline's neck, tracing a pattern up to her mouth. Seconds before their lips touched Helen whispered two more words.

"Egg yolk."


End file.
